Egypt, Qatar Reject Attempts to Liquidate Palestinian Cause

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)
TT

Egypt, Qatar Reject Attempts to Liquidate Palestinian Cause

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and Qatar rejected any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause at the expense of the Palestinian people or regional countries and attempts at forced displacement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the presidential palace on Friday and held a session of talks.

Egyptian presidency spokesman Ahmed Fahmy stated that the two leaders agreed to continue activating the various frameworks of cooperation and mechanisms of consultation and coordination at all levels between the two countries.

- Protection of civilians

The “Sisi-Tamim Summit” in Cairo discussed the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip and the subsequent regional challenges that push the region into dangerous and uncalculated directions.

The two leaders discussed the best ways to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and to stop the bloodshed.

The Egyptian Presidency’s statement confirmed that they reviewed the intensive efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and sustaining the delivery of humanitarian aid in quantities that meet the needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

They confirmed rejection of any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian issue at the expense of the Palestinian people or the countries of the region, as well as attempts at forced displacement.

The spokesman said the two sides confirmed continuing consultations to stop the current escalation, reduce the suffering of civilians, and stop the bloodshed of the Palestinian people. They aimed it would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state under the international legitimacy references and the achievement of just peace in the region.

- Cessation of military actions

Egypt continues its international and Arab efforts to stop the escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Ambassador to Hungary, Mohamed el-Shinawy, along with the ambassadors of Morocco, Qatar, and Palestine and on behalf of the Arab ambassadors accredited to Hungary, met Hungarian Speaker László Kover and other officials. They discussed the war in Gaza and its developments.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the Arab ambassadors stressed the necessity of immediately stopping military actions carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians.

They asserted the need to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip without any restrictions.

Israel must assume its obligations under international humanitarian law as an occupying state, they asserted.

The Arab ambassadors stressed the Arab countries’ rejection of Israel’s systematic policies to displace the Palestinians from Gaza, impose a fait accompli, and target civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship.

They pointed out the importance of starting a political process that led to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

- Humanitarian aid

Meanwhile, the second Saudi relief plane arrived at el-Arish International Airport in Egypt, carrying 35 tons of relief aid, including food and shelter materials, to be transported to those affected in the Gaza Strip.

The assistance is part of the fundraising campaign launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to assist the Palestinian people in Gaza, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The agency said Friday that the aid comes within the framework of Saudi Arabia’s historical role of supporting the Palestinian people in times of crisis.

The first Saudi relief plane arrived at El-Arish International Airport on Thursday, carrying 35 tons of relief aid, including food and shelter materials, which will be transported to those affected inside the Gaza Strip.

Friday morning, the Palestinian Red Crescent and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) received 65 trucks of humanitarian aid that crossed into the Gaza Strip from the Rafah crossing.

The official spokesman for North Sinai Governorate, Mohammad Salim Salam, said the 821 trucks entered Gaza from the Rafah crossing as of Friday, according to the German News Agency.



Türkiye, Hamas Discuss Gaza Ceasefire Deal’s Second Phase, Turkish Source Says

Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)
Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)
TT

Türkiye, Hamas Discuss Gaza Ceasefire Deal’s Second Phase, Turkish Source Says

Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)
Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday ​met with Hamas political bureau officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the ‌agreement to ‌its ‌second ⁠phase, ​a ‌Turkish Foreign Ministry source said according to Reuters.

The source said the Hamas officials told Fidan that they had fulfilled ⁠their requirements as ‌part of the ‍ceasefire ‍deal, but that Israel's ‍continued targeting of Gaza aimed to prevent the agreement from ​moving to the next phase.

The Hamas members ⁠also said humanitarian aid entering Gaza was not sufficient, and that goods like medication, equipment for housing, and fuel were needed, the source ‌added.


Israel Says It Killed Hamas Financial Officer in Gaza

Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
TT

Israel Says It Killed Hamas Financial Officer in Gaza

Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)

The Israeli army said Wednesday that it had identified a Hamas financial official it killed two weeks ago in a strike in the Gaza Strip.

Abdel Hay Zaqut, a financial official in Hamas's armed wing, on December 13 in the same strike that killed military commander Raed Saad, seen by Israel as one of the architects of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on Wednesday that Zaqut was killed while he was in a vehicle alongside Raed Saad in "a joint operation by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet", Israel's internal security agency.

Zaqut "belonged to the financial department of the armed wing" of Hamas, Adraee wrote on X.

"Over the past year, Zaqut was responsible for collecting and transferring tens of millions of dollars to Hamas's armed wing with the aim of continuing the fight against the State of Israel," he said.

Hamas's leader for the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed on December 14 the death of Saad and "his companions", though he did not name Zaqut.

The Israeli army said Saad headed the weapons production headquarters of Hamas's military wing and oversaw the group's build-up of capabilities.

Since October 10, a fragile truce has been in force in the Gaza Strip, although Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violations.

The war began with Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 70,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, a figure the UN deems is credible.


Lebanon Central Bank Governor Expresses Reservations Over Draft Law on Deposit Recovery

 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Lebanon Central Bank Governor Expresses Reservations Over Draft Law on Deposit Recovery

 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s Central Bank governor has expressed some reservations over a draft law allowing depositors to gradually recover funds ​frozen in the banking system since a financial collapse in 2019, a move critical to reviving the economy.

Karim Souaid described the proposed timetable for the cash component of deposit repayments as "somewhat ambitious" in a statement on Tuesday.

He suggested ‌it may ‌be adjusted without hindering ‌the depositors' ⁠rights ​guarantee "regular, ‌uninterrupted, and complete payments over time".

He also urged the cabinet to conduct a careful review of the draft law , calling for clarifications to ensure fairness and credibility before it is submitted to parliament.

The central ⁠bank governor said the draft required further refinement, ‌including clearer provisions to guarantee equitable ‍treatment of depositors ‍and to reinforce the state’s commitments ‍under the law.

The 2019 financial collapse - the result of decades of unsustainable financial policies, waste and corruption - led the state to default ​on its sovereign debt and sank the Lebanese pound.

The draft law marks ⁠the first time Beirut has put forward legislation aimed at addressing a vast funding shortfall - estimated at $70 billion in 2022 but now believed to be higher.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday urged ministers to swiftly approve the draft legislation.

The cabinet discussed the law on Monday and Tuesday and is set to continue discussions ‌on Friday.